07 April 2010

A Family Member Found

Over the last 10 years, I cannot begin to tell you how many times I have posted to genealogical message boards and mailing lists. Very rarely has anyone responded to my messages or queries.

For a few family lines, I never really expected to get a response. For example : Everyone out there who is a BORGSTADTER (my grandmother's line) Come on people, raise your hand if you are a BORGSTADTER! OK then, how about BEFORT (my father's family)? HOBROCK? THRON? ERK? See what I mean?

So imagine me getting an email from a descendant of my Grandad Befort's oldest sister who not only sends greetings, but 4 pages of genealogical information and (BE STILL MY HEART) a photo of my great grandmother Befort!

Meet Elizabeth Ernst Befort my great grandmother. Elizabeth, the daughter of Johan Adam Ernst and Anna Marie Kemper, was born in Obermonjou, Samara, which is located in the Volga River Valley in Russia. She married John Befort in Munjor, Ellis County, Kansas at St. Francis Catholic Church in 1891.

Elizabeth and John had 10 children. The eldest is Angela Befort whose granddaughter sent me the information and photos. My grandfather Edmund Befort is 21 years younger than his sister.

I was also sent this photo of the 2 eldest Befort girls :

This was taken in 1918. The girl on the right is Angela Befort (born 1892) and on the left, Susan Befort (born 1899).

This is my grandfather Edmund Befort. Having a face to go with your ancestors name is so incredibly awesome. When you spend years researching, you start to feel as if you know these people. When I finally do get a photo of an ancestor very rarely am I surprised by their looks - I already had a picture in my head of what I envisioned them to look like and haven't been too far off the mark yet.